Friends?
by edwardsbeautifulbella
Summary: Edward and Bella grew up together so what happens when they do more than just what best friends should do?


**Disclaimer: i do not own twilight never did never will. though wait a minute i do own the movie and the book so that means i own twilight right? Right? oh never mind.**

I met him on the first day of kindergarten. His unruly bronze hair and deep emerald green eyes that I could see from across the room drew me to him. He also seemed as uncomfortable as I was and it compelled me to talk to him. So that's what I did. I walked right up to him and said "hi, I'm Bella."

He turned to me with a smile so wide that I felt my own cheeks widen in response and said "Hi I'm Edward Cullen." I knew right at that moment we would be friends but I never guessed that we would be best friends and never in my wildest dreams did I think that Edward Cullen would be the love of my life.

The bell rang and Edward led me to a table with two other people. The girl introduced herself as Angela. She had light-brown hair and coffee colored eyes. I thought she was very pretty. The boy was blond and had a chubby face. I recognized him as my next door neighbor, Mike. Edward and I sat next to each other and I noticed that there was an empty seat next to me. Almost as soon as I noticed this a tiny girl with spiky black hair came flying towards us to sit in the vacant seat. I thought I saw Edward grimace but he quickly looked away.

It turns out that she was Edward's fraternal twin sister Alice Cullen. She was extremely short and so hyper that I was starting to believe that she had eaten a whole bag of sugar this morning. I later learned that unless she was extremely depressed she was always this annoyingly hyper. I still came to love her as if she were the sister I never had.

All throughout kindergarten we were inseparable. Everyone in every class we had knew that if they had a party they had to invite all of us or none of us. Elementary school passed by in a blur of parties and sleepovers with Alice and Edward solidly at my side.

In sixth grade we all went to the town's only middle school. That was when we met Rosalie and Emmett. They were a year older than us but we all became good friends anyway.

Rosalie was tall and slim; so much so that any supermodel would envy her. Her hair was blond straight and hung to her knees. Her eyes were such a deep blue that they almost looked violet. And her perfectly manicured hand was always wrapped around Emmett's.

Emmett was, of course, Rosalie's boyfriend. Even at twelve Emmett was getting burly and tall, perfect for football. He had dark brown hair that fell across his forehead and into his eyes because he refused to cut it. His eyes were also blue but more the color of the sky than a violet.

Emmett and Rosalie helped us survive sixth grade without going totally insane. And we had older friends to protect us from any potential bullies. Nobody would go near us knowing that Emmett was lurking in the shadows about to pound them.

Unfortunately some bullies did manage to pass through Emmett's radar. Edward hated to see these bullies antagonize me but being a sixth grader too he couldn't do much to stand up for me. Or even himself for that matter.

Whenever he noticed I was acting particularly sad or upset he invited me to go hiking with him in the woods by his house. Eventually it became tradition to go hiking whenever either of us was upset.

One time in seventh grade we were hiking and we came across a beautiful meadow with a small pond in the middle. Edward and I spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out on a rock on the edge of the pond. As he walked me home that evening he suggested that the meadow be our special place that we went when we were upset. I agreed wholeheartedly and it quickly became a new tradition.

Whenever one of us was upset we would go to the other's house and throw pebbles at the window to alert them to our situation. We would then walk to the meadow and wait for the other to show up. It was usually me who was upset mostly because of what everybody said about Edward because of me.

In eighth grade things got better and worse. We ruled the school so we no longer had to deal with bullies but given our history we refused to bully anybody else. We didn't even badmouth our teachers.

While thing were going good at school thing were horrible at home. My parents had started arguing a lot. They did it at night when they thought I was asleep but the walls were thin and I heard everything as I lay sleepless. It was about the same time every night that they started arguing so Edward was always at the pond waiting for me when I finally managed to sneak out. I was always safely escorted back to my house and safely tucked in bed by Edward so my parents never learned of my frequent absences.

On what should have been a happy day for me, my eighth grade graduation, my parents dumped on me the heavy news of their divorce. It was right before the ceremony and I spent the whole time fighting tears. During the car ride home I didn't say a word and when we finally arrived home I ran all the way to our special meadow.

Edward had been able to tell that something was wrong during the ceremony and soon met me on the rock. He just held me while I cried then I thought of the possibility that I might have to move and cried even harder. Eventually my tears had dried and it was time to go home. I loathed the idea of leaving but my parents were going to start worrying about me. Edward walked me home then headed back to his so he wouldn't get in trouble.

Before I opened the door I wiped my face and straightened my shoulders. With my hand on the doorknob I took a deep breath and pushed.

As I had expected they were sitting in the kitchen waiting for me. They motioned for me to sit down so I sat in the last drab, mix-matched chair. As I steeled myself for the emotional bomb that was about to drop the silence was excruciating. It was my dad that spoke first.

"Honey we've thought about this quite a bit and we've decided that you'll go live with your mother and come see me for a month every summer and a week every Christmas."

I thought about this. Seeing Edward only twice a year was not enough. He was my best friend and I wasn't about to move who knows where with my harebrained mother.

"No" I interrupted.

"Sweetie this is the best way for you to get the care and attention you need". This from my mother who only paid attention to herself. No wonder their marriage failed.

"You can't make me leave Forks. This is where my life is, this is where my friends are and I'm not going anywhere."

"Bella I think with your father's work schedule you would be better off in my care." My mother tried to convince me to change my mind. It didn't work.

"Mom I', thirteen I can take care of myself. If it is such a problem I can go to Edward's after school. Esme won't mind."

Both my parents just stood there gaping at my impenetrable logic. Slowly they thawed but still remained silent. Eventually it was my father who spoke up first.

"If that's what you want I'm sure we can work something out. Is that right, Renee?"

My mom just grabbed her suitcase and stormed out of the house. The child throwing a tantrum because she didn't get what she wanted.

As my dad got up to do who knows what I walked upstairs to my room. I grabbed a book and started reading. I read right through dinner and I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, the bright summer sunshine was pouring through my window and filling up my room.

I spent almost the whole summer at the Cullen house. Alice was planning a sleepover every other day and they seemed to last for days. Charlie couldn't seem to say no to me but he did spend many weekends alone down by the river fishing. Of course when we started to calm down and go to bed a few tears would fall but Edward was always there to catch them for me.

Ninth grade was different, extremely different. Everywhere we turned there were couples holding hands or hugging. Or making out as was the case with Rosalie and Emmett when we found them on the first day of school. They were up against Rosalie's locker and I'm sure they would have passed out from lack of air if we had not shown up.

Emmett had really bulked up and had indeed started playing football. That of course meant that Rosalie was a cheerleader. She tried to get Alice and I to sign up. I refused using my klutziness as an excuse but Alice decided to try it. I promised to cheer them on from the bleachers.

Edward had grown taller but stayed skinny over the summer. Perfect for track which was exactly what he had decided to do. Even with Emmett trying to get him to play football. I decided to be a reporter for the school newspaper so I was always involved.

October was the month everything happened.

In the first week Alice found out that she had become a cheerleader. None of us were surprised, Alice had always been graceful. Later that week Edward became a member of the track team. After that he was instantly popular. Two weeks later, Alice fell in love.

His name was Jasper Whitlock and he was, of course, on the football team. His hair was the color of honey and cut sort of longish. His eyes were always sparkling with laughter and were "The most gorgeous brown eyes I have ever seen." Alice's words not mine.

Jasper and Alice hit it off immediately. They were perfect for each other. While Alice was hyper and outgoing Jasper was calm and shy both of them were hopelessly romantic. I thought they were cute together and they never had public make out sessions like Rosalie and Emmett did.

And October was the month Edward got his first girlfriend, and no it wasn't me. I was kind of jealous that there was another girl taking up so much of Edward's time but he always spent at least one day a week with me.

Nothing else really happened that year. Oh yeah, except that I had my first kiss that year. It was May and all of the Cullen gang, as we were now known as around school, had been invited. We were playing spin the bottle and Edward was sitting across the circle with his arm around his girlfriend, Tanya. It was his turn to spin the bottle and of course it landed on me. He disentangled himself from Tanya and leaned across the circle towards me. I met him in the middle and our lips touched for just an instant and in that instant I felt the first tingle of a spark. But that was just the beginning.

In sophomore year I got my first boyfriend and Edward was on his second girlfriend. He had broken up with Tanya over the summer and was now dating a stuck-up snob better known as Jessica. As for me, well I was dating Mike.

I know it's weird to be dating your next door neighbor but he asked me first and I couldn't think of a nice way to say no. meanwhile Edward, Jasper and Emmett were the hot shots around school. And of course with Jessica, Alice and Rosalie being their girlfriends they were also mega-popular. I just continued to shine in the shadows as editor of the school newspaper.

It wasn't until a cold January night in my sophomore year that I fell in love with Edward.

I had been out on a date with Mike that night and we were having fun. That is until he started kissing me and pressuring me to go further. I pushed him away telling him that I wasn't ready. He broke up with me and stormed away leaving me behind.

I stumbled my way to Edward's house in the dark with tears pouring from my eyes. I got to his house and I must have looked worse off than I thought because instead of following my to our pond he came to get me and brought me upstairs. He led me to his room and tucked me in his bed to warm me up and sat on his couch.

When I had finally calmed down enough to talk he came and sat next to me on the bed. He asked me what happened. After hesitating for a moment I told him everything. When I finally finished he hugged me and said:"I'll never let another scumbag hurt you like that again."

He then went to kiss my cheek but I turned my head and his lips met mine. Somehow things went from there and Edward and I ended up doing the very thing I had refused to do with Mike. That was when I fell in love with Edward Cullen.

I spent the rest of the night at Edward's house and we cuddled like you see in the movies. In the morning we talked.

"Ok that was sufficiently awkward" Edward stated in the tense silence.

"Tell me about it" I replied.

We were so awkward that when we redressed in the morning we turned our backs away from each other.

After that night we acted as if nothing had happened. We continued to talk and hang out as friends but neither of us mentioned that night. Meanwhile I was hopelessly in love with my best friend.

The next day Mike had the audacity to think that we would still be dating after what had happened. This time I did tell him no.

After that I was boyfriend less for the rest of the year. Rumors kept circulating around that Edward was sleeping with every girl he dated. This information didn't surprise me, I doubted I was his first never mind his last, but it still broke my heart to hear that he obviously hadn't started to care about me the way I cared about him.

Junior year was hard on me. Edward went through girls like they were air. I wondered how he could be with all these girls and not love me. I sucked it up and plastered a smile on my face.

It was a Sunday night. The night Edward usually went on a date with his current girlfriend. I was at the pond, of course lying down on the rock placed at the edge. I was moping the way I usually did when Edward was off with some other girl.

Suddenly I heard noises. People were coming towards the pond. It was Edward and Lauren the blond he was currently dating. They said little to each other and soon they were making out… a lot. I couldn't take this anymore.

"EDWARD ANTHONY CULLEN HOW COULD YOU?" I shouted standing on the rock.

"Lauren why don't you head back towards the car." Edward said.

"This is our special place why would you even consider taking another girl here" I continued on my rant.

"I didn't think you'd be here" came his reply.

"Of course I would be here it's the only place I feel close to you anymore" I said afraid I had revealed too many of my feelings for him.

He was oblivious.

"We spend plenty of time together" he replied.

"Yeah but you're always somehow distracted by thoughts about your current girlfriend. You always ask me what you should get her for Valentine's day." I answered.

"Why would you care!" he shouted at me.

"Because I love you!" I shouted back.

Total silence. My words caught up to me and I was shocked about how much I revealed to him.

Suddenly Edward grabbed me roughly and pulled me to him. Our lips met and it was nothing like our first kiss. Sparks flew everywhere, figuratively of course, and I was surprised that the forest didn't catch fire from the heat of our passion.

He pulled away and just like that it was over. He had to take Lauren home and I walked towards mine.

Sleep was hard to come by that night. My mind was racing with possibilities and my lips still tingled from the passion of our kiss.

Eventually I did fall asleep and I woke up not exactly refreshed but excited for the new day. Of course this could be just like last time and Edward would play it like nothing happened. The thought was too heartbreaking so I pushed it aside.

I rushed downstairs and left for school after grabbing a granola bar. After making sure the door was locked I turned around to find a shiny silver Volvo parked next to my drabby truck. But this wasn't just any shiny silver Volvo this was Edward's shiny silver Volvo. And there he was smirking at me from the driver's seat with that heart stopping half-smile I loved so much.

I hopped in without a word and buckled my seatbelt. He noticed the granola bar in my hand and frowned.

"Is that all you plan on eating for breakfast" he asked.

"All I had time for" I replied.

He wordlessly drove the car for a few minutes. There was something bothering me and the question popped out of my mouth before I gave it permission.

"Why did you pick me up today? I do have a perfectly functioning car you know."

"I disagree with the idea that that thing can be described as 'perfectly functioning'" he replied. I rolled my eyes. "You didn't answer my question."

Now that he was forced to answer my question he seemed nervous. He wouldn't look my way.

"I picked you up today because… well because that's what most boyfriends do for their girlfriend"

Holy God. Hope rose in me at the word "boyfriend".

"Is that what we are?" I asked proud that my voice kept calm.

He seemed to be nervous again. "Only if you want me to be."

I let this sink in for a moment and apparently he couldn't take the silence because he started to speak again.

"Look right now I'm really nervous. I know this is a big decision and the way I went about it was a little different but I've never felt this way about anyone before. Bella I've loved you ever since that night…" he trailed off still not ready to talk about the night after my date with Mike.

He left a huge silence too nervous to go on. I knew what I was going to say but I let the silence hang in the air just a little bit longer just to torture him.

"Edward I love you too. I've loved you since that night. I'm not ashamed of what happened. It brought me closer to you. It doesn't matter how you ask I'd love to be your girlfriend."

He looked at me with love in his eyes. He leaned over to kiss me but it was nowhere near last night's kiss. We were at the school and many of our peer were walking by outside the car.

We got out of the car just as the first bell rang. He grabbed my hand and walked me to class. He walked me to every class always getting to the door before I got out even in the classes that let out early. I was wondering if he was skipping his classes just so he could be there for me. At lunch we sat together like normal but apparently everybody could sense a new intimacy between us. We were forced to tell Alice who repeated the news so loudly that everyone in the school now knows.

After three days of this I asked Edward how Alice was getting to school. He was usually her ride. He just smiled and replied that she had her own way. Just then a silver motorcycle zoomed past us. On the back was Alice and the driver was … Jasper.

Edward took me out on dates too. We had a standing Saturday date to go to the movies and on most other weeks we would go on dinner dates too.

Of course we experienced quite a lot of heavy make-out sessions but we never went further. I think that it's because we already experienced that part of our relationship and didn't feel the need to do it again.

Alice threw a graduation party of course and we all had a great time. It was sad having to say good-bye to all of our friends but in the fall Edward and I would be heading off to college together.

College was fun. I spent a lot of my time in Edward's room. No we didn't do anything inappropriate … much. He had a single room and I had a roommate that had her boyfriend over almost every day.

Edward proposed while we were still in college. We had gone home for spring break and were staying in his house. Esme made us a big family dinner to celebrate us being home, at least for a little bit.

After the meal we were just sitting there catching up. Edward held me close but that was nothing unusual. He was very protective of me. Suddenly he pulled away from me. I looked towards him to see what was wrong and found him kneeling on the floor with a small jewelry box in his hands. He opened it and I could see the most beautiful ring nestled in the box.

"Isabella Marie Swan, I will love you every moment of my life. Will you marry me?" he asked full of confidence.

Tears of joy filled my eyes and I could barely speak. Finally I managed to whisper "yes."

He stood up and kissed me more passionately than he ever had.

We waited to get married until after we graduated college. We had Alice plan the wedding and eventually she became a professional wedding planner. Our ceremony turned out to be perfect and the honeymoon was amazing.

So amazing that we came home to find out that I was pregnant with my first child. We named her Renesmee Carlie. It's a weird name I know but we named her after each of her grandparents. The year Nessie was born Rose and Emmett got married. Not wanting to be outdone Alice and Jasper got married as well.

We all moved to the same neighborhood and were always with each other. When I was pregnant with my second child, Alice and Rosalie were both pregnant with their first. I had a boy, Edward junior, and they both had girls, Violet McCarty and Rose Marie Whitlock. Alice decided to name her child after both her "Aunts". Ok I am really her aunt but Rosalie isn't.

But this is why two years later I named my third and final baby Alice Rose Cullen. The doctor's placed her in my arms and I looked up to Edward's smiling eyes and the smiles of my friends and family and knew that everything was going to be perfect.

**this is my second story posted here on fanfiction please read and review. if you have any suggestions for me please feel free to mention it in a review or PM.**


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